Changwon Korean restaurant revisited for spicy tofu hot pot: Anyeosane

I went back to Anyeosane Jecheol Hansang (안여사네 제철한상), a Korean restaurant in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, that I'd visited in May and liked quite a bit. The table full of all sorts of side dishes was great, but what personally stuck with me most was the spicy soft tofu hot pot. It's pleasantly sharp and makes the rice go down easily, the kind of dish that popped into my head every now and then.

So this time, too, I didn't agonize over the menu for long. I ordered the same set table as last time and added jeyuk (spicy stir-fried pork) as well. The set lineup had changed a little over the past few months, so there was some fun in eating while comparing it with my previous visit.

Back at a Korean restaurant in Sangnam-dong, Changwon

Anyeosane Jecheol Hansang sits in the heart of Sangnam-dong, so it's an easy place to drop by for lunch or dinner. Parking is always a worry in Sangnam-dong, but I was able to park right away in the space in front of the restaurant. Customers keep coming in steadily at mealtimes, so if you want to eat at a relaxed pace, booking ahead before you visit is a fine idea.

• Address: Unit 101, 10 Madimi-ro 10beon-gil, Seongsan-gu, Changwon, South Korea (경남 창원시 성산구 마디미로10번길 10 101호)
• Hours: 11:30–22:00 (Tue–Sun, closed every Monday)
• Parking: Spaces in front of the building; ₩1,000 parking support at Sangnam Parking Lot right next door and at the public parking lot across the street

Still a generous seasonal set table

Once again, as soon as the set was laid out, the table filled up in no time. Gondre thistle rice (gondre namul bap) is the centerpiece, and everything comes out at once: braised mackerel, cockles, japchae (stir-fried glass noodles), an assortment of side dishes and the baekhap clam soft tofu hot pot. Unlike restaurants where you eat just one main dish, being able to pick a little of this and a little of that is this place's biggest strength.

Compared with my visit in May, this time fried eggplant came out too, with a dipping sauce served on the side. It was a dish I hadn't seen before, so it caught my eye that the set lineup had changed a little.

My favorite: the spicy baekhap clam soft tofu hot pot

The biggest reason I came back to Anyeosane Jecheol Hansang is, of course, the baekhap clam soft tofu hot pot. I ordered it spicy again this time. Rather than a broth that's just aggressively hot, it's clean, pleasantly sharp and refreshing, so it goes well with rice. The set is so generous that my hands kept wandering to this and that, but in the end my spoon kept heading back to the soft tofu hot pot.

Eating the gondre rice and side dishes, then taking a sip of the piping hot broth, the combination works really well. It was my favorite dish last time too, and it satisfied again this time. Having enjoyed it twice now, I think from here on the spicy soft tofu hot pot will naturally be the first thing that comes to mind whenever I come here.

Added the meat again this time

Just like last time, I added jeyuk again. The basic set alone is plenty of food, but we love meat, so once again it just naturally got added. Eating mostly the greens and side dishes from the set and then pairing them with the meat makes the meal far more filling.

Eating the meat with rice, and sipping the soft tofu hot pot broth in between, is another combination that works. I didn't bother changing the menu lineup I'd been happy with last time, and it went down well again.

Sangnam-dong Korean food that satisfied on the Nth visit too

Sometimes a place that tasted great on the first visit feels more ordinary than expected when you go back, but Anyeosane Jecheol Hansang delivered again this time. Being able to eat a variety of side dishes all at once is a plus, but by my standards the spicy soft tofu hot pot is the clear reason to return. The set lineup had also changed in small ways over a few months, so even though I ordered the same menu, it didn't feel exactly the same.

It's a good option when you want a hearty Korean meal in Sangnam-dong, or when you're looking for somewhere to eat with your parents. If you're searching for a Korean restaurant in Sangnam-dong, Changwon, it's worth a visit at least once, and next time I come back I'll probably order the spicy soft tofu hot pot with jeyuk bokkeum (spicy stir-fried pork) added again.